Everto (2015) review

A young woman is tormented after witnessing the murder of her friend in the low budget horror feature Everto. Check out our review after the jump.

Horror seems to be the go-to genre for filmmakers looking to make a name for themselves who also are lacking any serious moolah for a budget. Everto is no different. Directed by Antoine McKnight, who also created the 2010 short film Recess, Everto is an extremely low-budget film that runs for close to two hours – which is pretty unusual for a horror.

Skylar (played by Alessandra Spoletini) witnesses the murder of her friend when visiting her boyfriend. After being questioned by the police, Skylar overhears two detectives talking about how they found fingerprints at the scene belonging to a man whom went missing years earlier called Jack Straw. This leads Skylar and her boyfriend on a search to find who Jack Straw really is.

The premise sounds quite promising; this is because it really is. A whodunit mixed with the slasher type genre we came to love thanks to the likes of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. Everto had the foundation set for a decent horror movie. Yet, that didn’t come to pass. The problem really lies with the execution. Having little in terms of a budget can be detrimental to how a movie turns out, but it is not the be-all-and-end-all. With time, talent and hard work, a project with little in terms of financial backing can still look great.

Everto unfortunately fails at the first hurdle, and that is the screenplay. The writing has too much filler in it for starters and the dialogue isn’t realistic. Remember when I told you that the film ran for two hours? That could have been cut right down without a five minute opening sequence followed by a further five minute scene in which Skylar and her sister wake up and eat pancakes. The cinematography is sadly lacking any skill, as is the lighting. Simple shots, which are too soft in the focus department, make up the majority of the film. A good D.O.P and gaffer could have added some real production value to the project but experienced ones would have cost money, so we have a catch 22 problem.

The acting for the most part is wooden and it would be hard to believe that the cast is made up of actual actors and not just friends of the director. Lines of dialogue are sometimes read with little to no emotion in some scenes and then over-the-top in others.

This is all a shame, mainly because there are glimmers of excellence in parts but it is surrounded by so many amateur mistakes that they get lost and forgotten about instantly. Antoine McKnight has the advantage of still being young and his enthusiasm shouldn’t waiver. He and his crew should revert back to making short films to hone their craft and gain the experience needed to make great films before moving back to features.

Everto – a decent premise let down by amateur mistakes. A good try and should be applauded for finishing but not enough to garner a good score unfortunately.